Tag: Ottawa

  • Ominous Eclipse – Sinister

    Ominous Eclipse – Sinister

    With a name inspired by the film Pitch Black, Ominous Eclipse tick off all the correct death metal boxes. However, the more one listens to Sinister the more one detects other influences and this bodes well for some longevity in their career. One to look out for in the future. (Self Release) Ominous Eclipse is Guitar, Vocals:…

  • Psychostick live in Ottawa, 31 July 2018

    Psychostick live in Ottawa, 31 July 2018

    The Very Serious Business Tour w/ Urizen, July 31 – Ottawa, ON – Maverick When you go past a venue and see a marquee or poster with the names Pussy Goblin, Thünderkok, Urizen, and Psychostick, you know damned well you don’t want to miss the show. I made the journey to Mavericks with an old colleague…

  • The Visit – Through Darkness Into Light

    The Visit – Through Darkness Into Light

    Shiver-inducing.  If that isn’t a qualifier of “metal” status then what is? Through Darkness Into Light is a release of goosebumpy highs and deep rumbling lows from The Visit, Ottawa duo Raphael Weinroth Browne (cello) and Heather Sita Black (voice). Listening to the album repeatedly lends newfound appreciation of the emotional wallop packed into this seemingly…

  • AC/DC from the front row…and the not-so-cheap seats

    AC/DC from the front row…and the not-so-cheap seats

    Hard to tell from watching these guys that AC/DC is in their sixties. Seeing em live in 2015 wasn’t all that different from watching em 7, 15 or 19 years ago. But you sorta get the feeling it’s their last tour, and they saved their best for the occasion. Not just the obvious cuts like…

  • Musk Ox – Woodfall

    Musk Ox – Woodfall

    I’ve long been struck by the emotional heaviness that Nathanaël Larochette is able to wring from a single acoustic guitar. While Musk Ox’s genre classification is technically “neofolk,” I’ve always felt that this act in particular is an excellent aesthetic companion to extreme metal (quite similar, in fact, to the more minimalist offerings of bands…

  • Norilsk – Japetus

    Norilsk – Japetus

    Although they’re actually from Ottawa, this doom duo is named after a former Siberian slave-labour camp now known as one of the most polluted cities on earth. Incidentally, it says here that Norilsk is “Home to the world’s largest heavy metal smelting complex,” which probably means it has a pretty decent metal scene. 😉 Alas,…

  • The Night Watch – s/t

    Hellbound Metal: “The Night Watch have released a challenging debut, one which initially did not work for me. Though not all the tracks stand out, it’s with repeated listens that it becomes apparent to me that the album is an exciting piece of avant-garde metal/post-rock/insert label here.”

  • Iron Maple Vol 1: Abriosis, Anciients, Chariots Of The Gods and Adrenechrome

    Jason Wellwood kicks off his new Iron Maple column, focusing on Canadian independent metal bands, with reviews of new releases by Abriosis, Anciients and Chariots Of The Gods, plus an audio interview with Chris Friesen of Adrenechrome

  • All That is Heavy II: Ottawa is Doomed!

    When they did the first edition of this event, a fundraiser for local college radio station CKCU, I remember thinking, “Damn, that’s a great lineup!” Featuring four of Southern Ontario’s finest–Electric Magma, Gypsy Chief Goliath, Blood Ceremony and Sons of OTIS–there was really no reason that show couldn’t have happened in Toronto, cept nobody had…